Flume Trail, Lake Tahoe

Overlooking Lake Tahoe

This entry will inform you how to ride the world famous Flume Trail located in Nevada overlooking Lake Tahoe. All links to maps/info will open in a new window.

Cabin in Wood Vista

Where to stay: That is up to you, but you will ultimately want to be near Flume Trail Bike Shop, Incline NV. This is where you will take a shuttle to the trailhead of the Flume Trail. The shuttle left at 8:30am so you will need to be in an appropriate driving distance. I personally rented an Airbnb in an area called Wood Vista, it was about a 15 minute drive to the bike shop. There was nice beach in the area and Safeway grocery store.

Getting to Trailhead: Again, this is up to you, but the trail is 14 miles long and it is not a loop. Meaning you need to get back to your vehicle. The easiest option for me was to use the shuttle provided by Flume Bike Shop. Being able to reserve the shuttle online made it super easy. Arrive 15 minutes early and enjoy some fellowship with other riders, and off you will go in shuttle van. The bikes were loaded onto a trailer.

The trail begins at Spooner Lake - Lake Tahoe State Park. Since it is a state park you will need to pay an entry fee. I took the shuttle and did not need to pay an entry fee, it must have been included in the shuttle. If you are driving on your own and not taking the shuttle, there is ample parking in the park. I would not recommend riding Highway 28 back to your car when you have completed the trail. The road is narrow and heavily travelled. 

Rocky Point

The Trail/What to Expect: If you take the shuttle, they drop you off and point you in the right direction. There are restrooms located in the park to use before you leave. You begin by riding a well groomed fire road called North Canyon Road. The first 4 miles are not fun, I'll be honest with you. You climb the entire time. However, once you get the climb done, the trail is awesome.

At the top of the climb, you can go to Rocky Point - a little spot on Marlette Lake. You could jump in the lake and cool off if you wished to do so, or just spend some time hanging out and snap a few pics.

Marlette Lake

You then back-track a bit to get onto the actual Flume Trail. The trail is easy to follow so you don't need to worry about GPS or anything. Just have your phone ready to grab a lot of pictures! If you rode the trail straight through it will take 2.5-3.5 hours. I think I took 5 hours because of stopping and taking it all in.

Once you start your descent back into town towards the bike shop be prepared for very a very loose and sandy ride. Control your speed so you don't get caught in a sandy rut and wipe out. The trail takes you right behind the bike shop.

Helpful Hints:

Little spot to swim

Parking: If taking the shuttle, I would park in the spots allotted along Tahoe Blvd. If you get there early enough there should be spaces available.

What else: When I was done, I changed into my swim trunks at my car. There is a paved, purpose built trail for walking and biking that will take you all the way to Sand Harbor Beach (beware entry fee). There are also little spots along the way you could pull over and jump in the water- I have a little lock I carry in backpack to lock up the bikes.

Bring some sandals you can wear in the water as the bottom is rocky.

What Else? What am I missing or what else would you like to know? Also, if you've ridden the trail, drop a comment to help other people out.

Complete Flume Trail